Workshops & Talks
Current Workshops
Below is a list of workshops developed by Sarah and presented in collaboration with Persist Health Project organizers.
Beyond Doing No Harm: A Guide to Working with People in the Sex Trade for Health and Service Professionals
Sex workers have historically been regarded within public health as either victims or vectors of disease, rarely being treated as holistic individuals in need of comprehensive care. In an effort to improve conversations between health professionals and those in the sex trade, this training emphasizes creating a strong knowledge base about sex trade populations. Participants will examine common myths and stereotypes about sex workers, learn the health needs specific to sex worker populations, and consider the relationship between stigma and health/wellness strategies in the sex trade.
How to Be An Ally to People in the Sex Trade
This interactive workshop examines the spectrum of experience folks can experience in the sex trade, followed by a guided values assessment of participants’ feelings and concerns about the sex trade. It concludes with suggestions for best practices for intimate family members (chosen or given), friends and community members.
Moving Together, Coming Apart: A History of the LGBTQ, Feminist and Sex Worker Rights Movements
From LGBTQ rights to the feminist movement, from economic justice to reproductive rights, there are few social justice movements which do not overlap with the struggle for rights of those involved with or impacted by the sex trade. Despite these overlaps, the issues of the sex worker rights movement have often been marginalized and erased from these legacies. This lecture will provide a history of these intersecting, and sometimes conflicting, social movements from the 1960s onward. It will also address the current issues these groups are still facing, including racialized violence, labor concerns, policing abuses and transphobia.
Our Health: Health and Wellness Strategies in the Sex Trade
In this workshop, we will utilize the experiences of our community to collectively identify our potential barriers to health care as sex workers, discuss our specific health care needs and determine how we can support one another in advocating for our health and wellness, both inside and outside of mainstream medicine. We will also discuss issues surrounding disclosure as well as what “wellness” means for stigmatized communities. This workshop is designed for those with current or former experience in the sex trade.
Work Smarter, Not Harder: A Sexual Health Workshop for People in the Sex Trade
This workshop is designed as a safe space for workers to speak honestly and openly about practical STI prevention in sex trade environments, sexual health as it relates to overall health/burnout prevention and what it means to work within the sex trade. We will also discuss disclosing to health care providers and ways to advocate for yourself and your community in health care settings. This workshop is designed for those with current or former experience in the sex trade.
For press inquiries or to contact Sarah for a workshop/presentation, please contact her via email directly.
